Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: Much longer

Lesson In Relevance
Mark Eby — (archived)

0 g missions simulate 0 g not time on the Martian surface. The total time to and from Mars in 0 g is about 12 months. Something that has already been done continuously. Assuming the effects of 0 g can be halted or even reversed on the Martian surface the trips to and from Mars are easily doable based on current knowledge. The total time for a Mars mission is currently envisioned at about 2.5 to 3 years to give 1.5 to 2 years on Mars (flags and footprints my a..).

There is a big difference between 0 g and 0.38 g but we don't really know if exercise on Mars and the impact of space suit weight will halt or reverse the impact of 0 g travel to Mars. Of far more relevance than more 0 g missions would be NASA doing something like Mars Gravity Biosatellite to fill in our gap in knowledge between 0 g and 1 g. Our current knowledge does not allow any meaningful extrapolation of 0 g experience to predict the effect of time on Mars. More 0 g work is basically a waste of time with regard to Mars mission planning.

Regards,
Mark

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